Frontline®, Advantix® and Advantage® topical spot-on treatments are among the most popular for flea and tick control. The idea that a single drop of insecticide will kill fleas over an entire dog is amazing and hard to believe. How does it work? More importantly, how did it become such a dominant brand category?
Starting with the dog owner, a great deal of insight was gained from a simple “thought bubble” exercise. We asked, “What is your dog thinking when you are preparing to treat him/her for fleas?” Pet owners filled the thought bubble with answers right off the top of their heads. In fact, our findings increased significantly when we increased the size of the bubble, because people stopped writing when they ran out of room in the bubble. Obviously it’s hard to forget that well-ingrained rule of “staying within the lines” we all learned in elementary school.
What did the thought bubbles reveal? We learned that owners felt guilty when their dog scratched at fleas; it was a sign they were a bad pet parent. More guilt came during the struggle to apply treatments. Collars addressed some guilt, as they were a visible sign of caring and were easy to use, though not very effective. So, everyone was excited to learn about this hard- to-comprehend but effective new solution.
The product was branded Defend® to signify protection from fleas. The tagline, “It works like nothing else” and the call to action “Ask your veterinarian” were used to position and add credibility to the new category.
The results: before the Defend brand launch, 80 percent of flea products were sold through mass merchandisers. After the launch, 80 percent were sold through veterinarians. Although Defend has been replaced with new branded formulations, today this brand category has reached $1.2 billion in retail sales and guilt relief. Check out the Services section of our website to discover how we can help you seamlessly develop your brand process—from strategy to implementation.